


Taking Turns

by CplCrimp



Series: Auspice of Echoes [2]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Injury, Injury Recovery, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Muteness, Original Cat Clans (Warriors), leg wound, promise she'll get there <3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27097303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CplCrimp/pseuds/CplCrimp
Summary: Mistblaze visits Seedpaw after her incident.
Series: Auspice of Echoes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874593





	Taking Turns

**Author's Note:**

> wound imagery & death talk. not vry graphic

_ old sun, new moon _

_ it’s bound to get better soon _

_ we’ve been running in circles too long _

_ so we will fight for another day _

_ these are the growing pains _

_ changes always strike the spirit  _ **_wrong_ **

🌱🌫️🌱🌫️

Mistblaze rushed over to FlameClan as soon as he got the chance. No IvyClanner tried to stop him; they had all heard the news.

Mistblaze had met both Seedpaw and Ashenpaw at their first Gathering, two moons ago. Toadpelt had told him that Stripefur had found another mate in his own clan, and that had resulted in Mistblaze’s two little half-siblings. Neither litters were even close in age. Mistblaze was coming up on his third season-cycle, but Seedpaw and Ashenpaw hadn’t even seen one.

The tortoiseshell tom wasn’t certain of all the circumstances of Stripefur’s new life, but at that moment, Mistblaze couldn’t care less about his father. For now, all his thoughts were on Seedpaw and Ashenpaw.

He didn’t know FlameClan territory as well as IvyClan territory. In his furious running, Mistblaze tripped on a rabbit burrow, and fell flat onto his face. He rolled over and stood back up immediately. Mistblaze breathed heavily, and gazed at the burrow to check for a snake. The landscape didn’t register, though, his thoughts were still on his siblings.

Mistblaze shot around as he heard a sudden yowl. Atop a hill stood a patrol of three warriors, two gray-and-white warriors, one brown one, and one Mistblaze could recognize as his father. The golden tabby rushed down the hill and nodded to his son.

“You’re here to check on Seedpaw,” he stated. Mistblaze nodded, his ears pounding. Stripefur turned back and pointed his head toward his patrol. “Come on.”

Mistblaze bolted up the hill and kept close to the smoke-scented cats.The patrol led him across the hills, rocks and streambeds until Mistblaze could see a large swath of green-brown plants. They headed downward, and a gray-legged warrior nosed through a few stalks of tall grass, the other warriors following suit. Mistblaze hesitantly did the same, cautiously padding through the small tunnel. He popped through more tall grass, and gazed through the FlameClan camp a moment. Bushes covered all parts of the walls, and flowers helped scents. He couldn’t tell which den could possibly be the healer’s.

Stripefur strolled up next to his son, bonking their heads together for a second before pointing his muzzle to several yellow-green stalks, topped with fluffy bits of fur, right next to the entrance burrow. “There’s Flowerpool’s den, Seedpaw’s in there.”

Mistblaze scratched the ground, prompting Stripefur to look at his paws.  _ “(What about Ash?)” _

Stripefur closed his eyes as they suddenly clouded and filled with water. Mistblaze furrowed his brow.

_ “(Where is Ash.)” _

“She--” Stripefur sighed, cutting off. “Seedpaw knows more than I do. I’m sure she’d like to see you.”

Mistblaze hung his head, slinking into the yellow flower bush slowly. He pushed steadily in, the leaves catching against his fur and shaking lightly. The den was large, with a bigger hole at the side. Mistblaze couldn’t make out much, but he could see Seedpaw’s bright golden fur in the darkness. And she clearly heard him.

Seedpaw jerked around and immediately smiled. “Mistblaze!” she called out. She rushed to her paws and hopped forward, but soon fell onto her stomach with a grunt. Concern flared up in Mistblaze. He leaped forward and lay beside her, licking her ears in attempt to calm her down. Seedpaw sighed sorrowfully.

_ “(Are you okay?)”  _ Mistblaze asked with hurried paws.

Seedpaw shook her head, but continued to smile. “I can hardly see your pawspeak. Thornpaw is bringing some rocks to knock down the bluestem. She should be back soon.” Seedpaw suddenly perked her ears. “Oh! Or we could go outside. Let’s go outside! I gotta balance against you.”

Mistblaze nodded and rose to his paws, facing the grass stalks. Seedpaw grunted as she stood, leaning hard against Mistblaze, her cheek tight on his. Despite her age, Seedpaw was already taller than her older brother. The tortoiseshell walked slowly, and Seedpaw kept stumbling. Mistblaze jumped every time, worried it was his fault. A few steps in, though, he realized that Seedpaw was simply trying to go faster than him. Mistblaze quicked his step by a claw, though Seedpaw still wanted to go faster. Mistblaze wouldn’t let her.

They pushed apart the bluestem together, and Seedpaw’s eyes widened in the sunlight, as if she hadn’t seen it for days on end. Immediately, a few voices called out.

“Hey, Seedpaw!” called Birdstrike.

“Seedpaw!” repeated Echotuft.

“Walkin, Seedpaw?” called a black-and-white molly.

_ “See’pa!”  _ exclaimed a small golden kit.

The kit’s mother, a soft-furred amber molly with a strange, loose green neck nuzzled the kit. “That’s right, Dandelion,” she stated, “That’s Seedpaw.”

A few pawsteps outside from the bluestem, Seedpaw nodded and heaved. “This works,” she stated. Slowly, she slipped down from Mistblaze’s side, starting with her hindquarters and ending with her front. Mistblaze stepped away and started with a sit, before falling out into a laying position. It was then he noticed the damage.

Sticking out away from her body lay Seedpaw’s leg. It was tattered, red and swollen, fur only grouped in patches, and scars cut deep across it. The wound only reached her ankle, and a pawstep beyond.

Seedpaw’s face broke with a pained smile. “You’ve noticed,” she stated. Mistblaze could only stare in disbelief. “Flowerpool exercises me, but we haven’t gotten to that length yet. It’s only been a few sunrises since… well…”

Mistblaze ducked his head.  _ “(And Ash…?)” _

Seedpaw’s eyes clouded and her smile immediately fell. “Ash… she… well…” She sighed. “We snuck into an upwalker nest a few days ago. The upwalker was out with a loud monster, with sharp, sharp teeth, and it didn’t notice either of us. Sw-Sweet called it a lawnmower. It… it ran over Ash. She pushed me out of the way, but I tried to go back, and, and, and…”

Seedpaw’s eyes quickly filled with water. She ducked her head, pawing at her face. Mistblaze scooted forward, placing his head on hers. He couldn’t sign until she looked up, but he knew what he would say.  _ She’ll be happy in the stars. _

Seedpaw pressed into Mistblaze’s fluffy fur. “Mom and dad can show you her stone. I-I’d come with you but… I can’t walk that far yet.”

Mistblaze closed his eyes and silently vowed to carry her. Of all the things he could’ve thought could happen to his beloved siblings, he never expected one to die and the other to be wounded so severely- not before earning their names.

_ Their names,  _ Mistblaze thought.  _ I’ll kill Cypresstail if he names Seed after her leg. _

Finally, Seedpaw met Mistblaze’s gaze. “But I still have you!” She exclaimed, trying to sound cheerful. 

She glanced quickly behind the big tom, and Mistblaze looked too. On the far wall of camp sat a large lump of grassy dirt.  _ Their meeting-place. Cypresstail’s. _

Seedpaw spoke again, breaking Mistblaze from his thoughts. “You’ll come to my ceremony, won’t you?” she lowered her voice, sounding more sorrowful. “...won’t you?”

Mistblaze nodded and licked her head.  _ “(Of course I will, Seed. And I bet Ash will, too.)” _

Seedpaw smiled, almost happily, though her eyes were still dark with sadness. “Yeah,” she answered, “I sure hope so.”


End file.
